Acco Brands

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ACCO BRANDS - PAGE 3

Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that first-quarter profit more than doubled on asset sales and income from last year's two biggest-selling DVD releases, "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Cars." The Burbank, Calif.-based company posted net income of $1.7 billion, or 79 cents a share, up from $734 million, or 35 cents a share, a year ago. Sales increased 9.8 percent, to $9.73 billion. Excluding one-time items, Disney would have earned 50 cents a share, beating estimates by 10 cents a share.

On Aug. 30, David Campbell, chairman and chief executive of Acco Brands Corp., will get his second chance in two years to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The first time Campbell celebrated Acco's 100th birthday, which occurred while it was part of Fortune Brands Inc. "It is a great thing that in this day and age when companies do not last long, and chairmen and CEOs last even shorter, that there are companies that have retained their heritage and are in the businesses they were chartered to begin with," Campbell said Thursday.

Which is the lesser corporate evil: to lay off more workers or save those jobs by cutting everyone's salary? It's a question that's starting to pop up in management meetings as executives struggle to protect the bottom line during bad times. With companies slashing tens of thousands of jobs, a growing number now are trimming the paychecks of those left in place, with the cuts sometimes totaling 5 percent to 10 percent. Few, though, have gone as far as Acco Brands Corp. of Lincolnshire to employ what it sees as a job-saving, morale-salvaging strategy.

After arriving here from Russia as a 13-year-old, Boris Elisman developed a particular fondness for Twinkies. Enjoying one every day, the lanky teen eventually noticed he was putting on weight. His pants, which his parents couldn't afford to replace, were getting too tight. Elisman never ate another Twinkie. Such is the discipline Elisman, 50, brings to his role as president and chief operating officer of Acco Brands Corp., the Lincolnshire-based company known for Swingline staplers, Kensington computer accessories and, with its most recent acquisition, Mead office products.